transporter-ing

When there's ever an economic downturn, it seems like the family pets are hit the first and the hardest.  Right now shelters are overrun, and things are only getting more crowded.

Last weekend, Brian and I did another animal transport.  This run was South Hill to Richmond.  The dogs began in South Carolina somewhere, and ended up somewhere in the North East (Delaware, I think?) so it was a two-day event.

I didn't remember to take my camera, so I don't have photos, but I do have a few memories.

We were originally supposed to take 3 dogs, but there was some last-minute shuffling.  Because about 35 dogs (including about 15 puppies!) were involved in this transport, a number of drivers handled each leg.  One of the drivers in our leg had found a wounded dog on the side of the road on the way down, so after meeting up with us, we assured her that we could reshuffle and handle her load, and she headed off to her vet.

There were all sorts of madness and mayhem at our particular pickup, but I won't get into that.  We did have a good bit of fun, at least.  Brian managed to zero in on what was pretty much the cutest little spotted puppy in the world...seriously....adorable.  Shame I don't have photos!!!

After all was said and done, we ended up carting 4 dogs to the meeting place in Richmond.  Dolphin, a chocolate lab mix, spent the trip in the 'way back.'  Deebo, a 10-yr-old mild-mannered border collie sat in the back seat alongside Flame, a german shepherd? mix puppy of about 4months old.  Flame spent the trip in a wire crate because of his floppy puppy-ness and his back - a gaping acid burn that started at the base of his neck and went all the way down his spine to his hips.  The worst of his burn was still pretty raw, but judging from his scars and hair re-growth it had already healed up significantly.  We don't know who did this to him or when, but the good news is that he doesn't seem affected by it.  He was extremely friendly, loved attention, and was very well behaved despite his huge puppy energy.  

Our fourth passenger was Max, a purebred pudgy beagle who must have been an owner surrender... meaning, his family didn't want him anymore so they took him to the animal shelter to die.  Max seemed to miss his family very much and did NOT enjoy being away from humans.  The shelter must have been really scary for him, but once he gets into his real forever home he will be so happy and bouncy.  He was a real sweetie.

I love being able to do this again.  We have a set amount each month that we give to charity, and I'd already sent off checks covering all of this month's giving, so we weren't going to be able to do the transport.  The lady putting it together said that someone would sponsor our gas money, and that was all it took to get us on the road again.

If you're interested in helping animals get out of shelters (which euthanize) and into rescues (which do not euthanize) then get in touch with a transport organization, or get in touch with ME.  You can find groups on Yahoo that work in your area (search for animal transport or animal rescue, and your state or a major interstate that you live near, such as I-95 or I-81).  A couple that come to mind are OTRA (on the road again), Truck'n'paws, and Rural Shelter Help.

Most legs aren't more than 70 miles and can be completed in an hour each way.  The South Hill to Richmond was a long one, at 81 miles, and even at that, we only paid about $35 in gas.  It's so rewarding to know that you were directly involved in saving an animal's life.

And people.  If you are considering adding a pet to your family, DON'T go to a pet shop.  There are thousands of cats and dogs that die every day.  Visit an animal shelter, an animal rescue, or Petfinder to find your pet.  There are rescues for every kind of animal, for every breed of cat and dog.  There are rescues for rabbits, horses, guinea pigs, chickens, everything.  One of the perks of adopting from a shelter or rescue (besides saving an animal's life) is that it's significantly cheaper - shelters have a low adoption fee (generally under 3 digits) and most rescues come in at half of what you'd pay from a pet shop.  Seriously.  Check it out.

Oh.  And a breeder who breeds more than one or two kinds of dogs is not a good breeder and does not deserve your $700.